New Delhi, Dec. 16 -- The IPL auction never fails to deliver drama, with franchises battling it out for star players in front of millions watching live. Yet, away from the spotlight of massive bids and celebrations, two underrated rules often play a quiet but crucial role in deciding who gets whom. Here is all you need to know about the silent tie-breaker rule and the accelerated round at the IPL 2026 mini-auction.

The silent tie-breaker is a rarely invoked but high-drama tool designed to break deadlocks when multiple teams exhaust their remaining purse on the same final bid for a player. Introduced back in 2010, it kicks in during intense bidding wars, especially in mini-auctions where budgets are tighter. Franchises submit sealed writt...